Menopause

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT)

MHT research

A major study called the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) has explored the benefits and risks of menopausal hormone therapy. It has looked at many issues relating to MHT, including whether the health effects are different depending on when a woman starts MHT. Learn more about research results from WHI and other studies.

Some women can use menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to help control the symptoms of menopause. MHT, which used to be called hormone replacement therapy (HRT), involves taking the hormones estrogen and progesterone. (Women who don't have a uterus anymore take just estrogen.)

MHT can be very good at helping with moderate to severe symptoms of the menopausal transition and preventing bone loss. But MHT also has some risks, especially if used for a long time.

Treating vaginal symptoms, such as dryness and discomfort, and related effects, such as pain during sex

Slowing bone loss

Possibly easing mood swings and mild depressive symptoms (MHT is not an antidepressant medication — talk to your doctor if you are having signs of depression.)

For some women, MHT may increase their chances of:

Blood clots

Heart attack

Stroke

Breast cancer

Gall bladder disease

Research into the risks and benefits of MHT continues. For example, a recent study suggests that the low-dose patch form of MHT may not have the possible risk of stroke that other forms can have. Talk with your doctor about the positives and negatives of MHT based on your medical history and age. Keep in mind, too, that you may have symptoms when you stop MHT. You also can talk with your doctor about treatments other than MHT that can help deal with specific symptoms on our Menopause symptom relief and treatments page or prevent bone loss.

Keep in mind when considering MHT that:

Once a woman reaches menopause, MHT is recommended only as a short-term treatment.

Facts About Menopausal Hormone Therapy - This brochure summarizes the risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy. It is designed to provide patients with information to help them communicate more effectively with their doctor or nurse and determine the best course of treatment on an individual basis.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy Information - New findings from the Women's Health Initiative and other studies offer important information about the risks and benefits of long-term menopausal hormone therapy. The links on this website point to information resources, including the most current from the NIH, on both long-term and short-term hormone use, and other concerns related to women's health during and after menopause.

Menopause & Hormones - This fact sheet explains the benefits and risks of treating the symptoms of menopause with hormone therapy. It also explains the Food and Drug Administration's recommendations for menopausal hormone therapy.